Tuolumne Meadows to Lyell Canyon
| Thursday, September 2nd 2021 Days on the trail: 21 | Total miles: 222.9 Miles: 6.8 | Time: 3.75 hours | Ascent: 524 ft | Descent 377 ft |
Mike was very happy to lace up his new boots this morning. Thank goodness for overnight shipping!
Out with the old… 
…in with the new
We were on the Yosemite bus at 8:40 am bound for Tuolumne Meadows, very anxious as to what the day would bring. Permit rules are confusing at the best of times; you can’t rejoin the trail after exiting but there are exceptions for resupplies and continuations. We weren’t completely sure what would be ok with the current situation and we anticipated there would be rangers checking permits when we arrived. I resolved to keep quiet and let Mike do the talking if we encountered a ranger
When the bus arrived at Tuolumne Meadows instead of a line of rangers as we’d expected we were greeted with a big smile and a hug from our good friend Jamsheed. He is heading into the backcountry today for a long weekend and the timings worked out that he was there at the same time as us. We spent a couple of hours hiking and having lunch together before Jamsheed took the trail to Vogelsang and we continued on to Lyell Canyon.
The other JMT – Jamsheed, Mike & Toni
In an effort to cover more of the JMT and to have an extra night in Yosemite we hiked south for 6 miles in the opposite direction we’ve been walking for weeks. This would enable us to spend the night in Lyell Canyon before backtracking tomorrow and heading north again, or at least that was the plan. After only an hour on the trail Ranger Marshall approached us and said “hi, how ya doin? Where ya goin? Can I see your permit?” After checking our permit and scratching his head he very officiously informed us we were going in the wrong direction…over to Mike. Two minutes later Ranger Marshall signed off on our permit making a notation for the benefit of any other rangers we encounter and told us to be on our way. Phew! Who knew that going southbound on a northbound permit would be an issue.
We felt a sense of relief that we had the all clear from a ranger especially as we met 2 more within the hour who also wanted to check our permit. It’s crazy that we’ve been on the trail for 3 weeks and haven’t had our permit checked once but as soon as we are in Yosemite it’s been checked twice in a day.
We found a lovely spot to set up camp with a view across the meadow. I’m starting to feel quite melancholy that these are our final few days on the trail and depending on what happens with our 2022 plans, this may be the last summer backpacking we do in California after 23 years here. But, who knows what the future holds? Depending on the pandemic we may still be in California this time next year. Whatever we do, wherever we end up we’ll be sure to make the most of it, that is for sure.
Lyell Canyon to Upper Cathedral Lake
| Friday, September 3rd 2021 Days on the trail: 22 | Total miles: 235.3 Miles: 12.4 | Time: 7 hrs | Ascent: 1,617 ft | Descent: 987 ft |
The cold nights and early mornings continue. There were little pockets of ice on the river this morning and a frost in the meadow.
At the start of the JMT we would enjoy a leisurely breakfast in our hiking gear, now we eat and drink as quickly as possible wearing every item of clothing we have and delay taking off the extra layers until the last possible moment.
We were on the trail at 8 am just as the sun was starting to cast light on the surrounding peaks and we thankfully started to warm up fairly quickly.
Very soon after leaving camp we came upon two men who were packing up and about to hit the trail too, Zig from Utah and Rob from Arizona. They were very chatty and ended up tagging along with us all the way back to the trail junction, about 6 miles. They were very pleasant and interesting to talk to; retirees in their early 70’s who volunteer for the National Park Service and do a lot of backpacking. By the time we said goodbye a couple of hours later we had an invitation to go backpacking in the Grand Canyon with them next month.
As we were saying goodbye to our new friends a ranger showed up and asked for our permits, again! Ranger Adam was a lot more jovial and easy going than yesterday’s encounter with Ranger Marshall and after checking our permit there were no raised eyebrows or questions about our detour. He stayed and chatted to the four of us for a while until two mounted rangers showed up and pulled his attention away. They really are out in force.
The last 6 miles of today’s hike were hot and up, through forest with occasional views. I was surprised that I struggled at times and felt really quite drained. I’d assumed that having lost weight, got fitter and been at elevation for 22 days that everything would be easy by now but I suspect I am hitting a wall of fatigue from the accumulated exertion.
The closer we got to Cathedral Lakes the more day hikers we encountered. It was a bit of a shock, I don’t think I’m ready to go back into the world.
“Mike, how much have you enjoyed hiking the JMT?” 
“Mike, how do you feel now the hike is almost over?”
Upper Cathedral Lake is a beautiful spot and aptly named due to the cathedral like rock dominating the view.
We found our spot for the night at 3 pm which gave us plenty of time to set up camp, swim and enjoy the view.
This is the last true wilderness camp we will have on the JMT as tomorrow we will be at busy Little Yosemite Valley, a jumping off point for people summiting Half Dome.
I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that there’s a lot more flight activity on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons and with this weekend being a holiday there were even more planes passing overhead until late into the evening.
We stayed up until 8 pm – late for us!
Upper Cathedral Lake to Little Yosemite Valley
| Saturday, September 4th 2021 Days on the trail: 23 | Total miles: 248.8 Miles: 13.5 | Time: 7.75 hours | Ascent 938 | Descent 4,170 |
We slept in until 7 am this morning and it was a real treat to pack up with the sun warming us.
The first 6 miles of trail were really nice, stunning backward glances at Cathedral Peak and the surrounding scenery then a gentle lollop alongside pretty Long Meadow. We took our time walking at a very relaxed pace, probably subconsciously trying to make the most of our precious time out here.
Cathedral Peak 
The trail through Long Meadow 
Miles 6 to 12 were less enjoyable, a steep descent on rocky rough trail and then a stretch through a burn area which had dense low vegetation growing across the trail with viciously thick thorny branches. The thorns cut up my legs so badly I needed to apply antiseptic cream – the first time using the first aid kit on the trip, aside from ibuprofen.
Half Dome beyond the burn area
The burn area was interesting to see – an entire forest of burned trees yet the low vegetation was thriving and there were more birds in a 3 mile stretch than I think we’ve seen through the whole trip. A reminder that although fires are devastating, there is regrowth and regeneration.
I sensed we would see a bear today, it’s not a canny 6th sense I have, it’s just good old common sense. I knew that as we got closer to the popular trails for Clouds Rest and Half Dome there would likely be more hikers not storing their food properly and therefore bears. Sure enough, at the junction for Clouds Rest there were a few tents pitched and a scrawny bear was sniffing around so we chased him off “Yo bear!”
We arrived at Little Yosemite Valley for our final night on the JMT. It’s a very busy spot with tents pitched in every nook and cranny and people coming and going throughout the day and night. Despite this it had a good vibe about it, people were excited to be going up or coming back from Half Dome. We climbed Half Dome a number of years ago and had no desire to repeat the experience, besides we didn’t have a permit.
Happy to be giving Half Dome a miss this time around
Meanwhile, back to bear sightings. Some guys had gone for a swim in the river and left all their food out despite there being plenty of storage lockers and reminders posted all over the area. A juvenile bear came along and started to feast on the goodies. Smart bears, problem people. Mike and some other campers hazed the bear away and tidied up the site securing what was left of the food. The problem people returned and their only concern was that they had missed a photo opportunity with the bear. So frustrating.
We were both very subdued tonight. I know that I am sad this adventure ends tomorrow, I think Mike is too, or perhaps he was preoccupied thinking about the hot shower and cold beer that awaits?
Little Yosemite Valley to Happy Isles
| Sunday, September 5th 2021 Days on the trail: 24 | Total miles: 255.2 Miles: 6.4 | Time: 3.8 hours | Ascent: 1,122 ft | Descent: 2,405 ft |
We weren’t in a rush to get on the trail this morning. We hung out, chatted with other campers and a ranger but eventually we couldn’t put it off any longer, time to hike the final few miles back to the car.
Liberty Cap, Mount Broderick and Half Dome 
Very soon we encountered a wave of backpackers and day hikers, more people than we’ve seen in weeks. We knew to expect this, we knew it would be a little overwhelming, but it’s still a jarring re-entry into civilization. I’ve mentioned this in other posts but the scent of freshly laundered clothes, shampooed hair and slathered sunscreen is the first thing you notice, an assault on the senses.
Just 2.3 miles to go
Approaching Happy Isles felt almost anticlimactic so we decided to have a dip in the Merced River. Usually a fast moving river until late in the season it was now a very inviting and refreshing lagoon. We dumped our packs, changed into our swimmies as inconspicuously as possible and jumped in for a celebratory splash around. Daytrippers thought we were mad, if only they knew of our long journey and adventures!
255 miles over 24 days, we did it!
And just like that, we were at Happy Isles, the end of the trail.
~ The End ~
Lastly, Mike and I would like to thank our good friends Molly and Jamsheed who were our emergency contacts while we were on the trail. In addition to tracking us daily via our Garmin InReach they also monitored wildfire activity in California, ready to alert us of any potential dangers or detours should they arise and to communicate with our family in the event of an emergency. We slept more soundly at night knowing that they were looking out for us and I hope we can return the favor someday.
Great adventure and a great writeup. Reminded me of another blog where the writer walked across the US (coast to coast). It felt like I was walking along with you in the trail!
Hope to read more of your adventures in the future. Do keep on writing!
Wow what an adventure well done to both of you where is the next adventure going to be will it be in England well done to both lots of love from Mum and Dad 👍🥾⛺️
Toni you are both such an inspiration. I love hearing about your adventures and seeing the pictures. You take me away from the workaday world I now inhabit and remind me that other options are available! Keep up the great adventures please 😀👏🥂. And congratulations for such a brilliant effort. X
What an incredible adventure, Toni! I loved reading it and hearing your voice in my head all the while. I’m so glad you took the time to write it out and capture the memory. And thank you so much for sharing it with us!